Marking tool



Dec. 27, 1960 J. R. HUNT MARKING TOOL Filed June 4, 1957 INVENTOR. James Foberz H710??? ATTDRN EYE MARKING TOOL James Robert Hunt, 47 Ashmont St., Warwick, RI. Filed June 4, 1957, Ser. No. 663,419

1 Claim. 01. 33-197 This invention relates to a marking tool.

The object of the invention is to provide a marking tool for use by carpenters or other persons whereby hinges, striker plates and the like can be accurately located or positioned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a marking tool which can be used as a butt marker and wherein the device can also be used, in the marking of margins on door jambs and wherein the device can also be used for marking window casings that have to be marked, so that the tool lends itself readily to a variety of uses.

A further object of the invention is to provide a marking tool which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will beapparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying: drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to, designate like parts throughout the same:

I Figure 1 is a plan view of the marking tool, constructed according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the marking tool of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on theline 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the parts of the tool disassembled.

Referring in detail to. the drawings, the numeral indicates a first slide which includes a main. body portion 11 that is provided with. a longitudinally extending slot 12. The slide 10 includes a widened end portion.

13, and extending from one end of the slide 10 is: a first flange 14 which has. a tapered shape so that it terminates. in. av sharp edge. Extending in the opposite direction from. the flange 14 and arranged on the opposite end of the slide 10 is a second flange 15 which also. has a tapered shape so that it terminates in. a sharp edge, Figure 2.

The. tool" ofIthe present invention further includes a second slide whichis indicatedgenerally by the. numeral 16, and the. slide 16 is. adjustably connected to the first slide. 10. The slide 16 includesa main body portion 17 whichis provided with scale markings for indicia 18. thereon, Figure 4 and Figure 1. The slide 16 includes a. widened end portion 22-which has a lip 19 extending therefrom,,and there is furtherprovided in the slide 16 a pair of spaced apart apertures 20 and 21.v

A means is provided for adjustably connecting the slides. 10 and.1.6. together, and; this means comprises a.

suitable securing element such as a rivet 23 which extends through the aperture 20 and through the slot 12- and there is further provided a bolt 24 which extends through the aperture 21 and through the slot 12, and the bolt 24: has a nut 25 arranged in threaded engagement therewith.

The parts can be. made of any suitable material and in different shapes or sizes. For example, the pair of 2,965,972 Patented Dec. 27, 1960 slides 10 and 16 may have a width of 1% inches until they flare out at one end to 1 /2 inches. The slides start to flare out at approximately 1% inches from the end as shown in the drawings. The length of the slide is 6% inches. The width of the cutters or flanges is as follows. One is 1 /8 inch wide, and one is 1 /2 inch wide and with the width of the lip or flange 19 may be inch. The thickness of the slide is of an inch, and the cutters 15 and 14 cut into the wood of an inch deep. The slot 12 for receiving the lock bolt 24 and rivet 23, is of an inch in diameter and has a length of 6 inches and this slot is located of an inch from each end of the slide and is arranged in the center of the slide. The holes or apertures 20 and 21 are inch in diameter, and these apertures are positioned so-that one aperture is of an inch from an end. of the slide, while the other aperture is 1 /2 inch from the end of the side measuring from the lip or flange 19. The openings 20 and 21 are arranged in the center of the, slide.

The marking tool of the present invention actually constitutes four tools in one since it is an improved completely diflerent kind of butt gauge, and it is also a strike plate position finder and marker, casing margin.

line marker, and a new kind of scribing tool.

When the device is being used as a butt gauge, its construction is different from the construction of a conventional butt gauge and its principle of use is also entirely diiferent since it is used by. tapping it with a hammer while an ordinary butt gauge is drawn along the wood. Thus, an ordinary butt gauge usually or many times becomes snagged by the grain in the wood that it is being drawn along which leaves a crooked or Wiggly line. which must be gone over again and again until it leaves a straight line whereas the marking tool of the present invention includes a cutter that is driven down into the wood from the tap of a hammer so as to leave a straight, true line without the possibility of becoming snagged.

An ordinary butt gauge is used against the back of a door 'andthe back of a door jarnb, but the marking tool of the present invention is used from the front of the door and the front of a door jamb which is less confusing for an. apprentice carpenter or other unskilled person. The marking tool is marked 011 for each different setting in. terms of what that setting is to be used for, instead of as in the case of an ordinary butt gauge being marked ofl a A of an inch, so that the tool of the present invention is less confusing in this respect and is extremely simple to set.

Another important diflerence is that the marking tool makes three lines on the edge of the door or the full outline for the placement of a butt whereas the ordi-' nary butt gauge makes only one line which is the back edge line of a butt and the ordinary butt gauge cannot make the two end lines, which necessitates holding a butt on the back edge line and drawing a knife along' its. ends in order to make the two end lines.

It is the usual practice when using an ordinary butt gauge. to first measure with a rule 7 inches down from the top of a door and make a mark with a pencil or knife. so as to establish the accepted or standard position for the placement of the top butt and this is also done at the bottom of the door measuring 9 inches up,

but the marking tool of the present invention has the V butt gauge, can be readily set for any size butt up to and including a 4 /2 inch butt and will make the end lines for all the difierent size butts within the 4 /2 inch radius. This is a decided advantage in that the ordinary butt gauge cannot make any end lines at all.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the slide 16 has settings 18 marked for a 1% inch thick door which is an outside door, and a 1% inch thick door which is an inside door and this is a great convenience for apprentive carpenters or unskilled people since on an ordinary butt gauge the measurements are marked or divided into A of an inch and a carpenter must know exactly what he is doing when he changes an ordinary butt gauge for these two different settings. Also, these settings clearly marked on the marking tool makes it easier and quicker for a carpenter to make these changes.

The marking tool is not only a more convenient, thorough and complete butt gauge but also is another and completely different tool, that is, it is a strike plate position finder and marker. The tool permits a carpenter to quickly find the exact location for the strike plates that are usually positioned in cuts that are made in door jambs for the purpose of holding doors closed. The correct placement of a striker plate (the plate that fastens onto the door jamb and into which the lock bolt snaps that keeps the door closed or locked) has always been a source of annoyance and a hit or miss proposition for a a long time. Some carpenters use measurements with their rule, some gouge a hole in the door jamb and keep enlarging it in order to find the exact location for the placement of the striker plate and some carpenters of long experience even try to estimate by eye, the distance out from the back of the door jamb. Sometimes they are lucky but most times these hit or miss methods cause a waste of time. If the strike plate has been set back too far by the slightest margin, the lock bolt will not enter the hole and the strike plate must be removed and filed. If the strike plate has been set out too far the door will rattle from the slightest vibration and the plate must be removed, the screw holes plugged, and the plate set back further. Sometimes these adjustments must be made more than once.

In using the marking tool for this work, the door is held closed by a workers foot, and the cutter 14 is held against the edge of the door jamb, the plain end of the tool is inserted into the crack between the door and door jamb and then the tool is locked in this position. Then the door is opened, the marking tool is then removed, turned end for end, and then placed against the door jamb again, and tapped with a hammer. This leaves a line out into the wood and when the front edge of the hole in the strike plate is set against this line, that is the exact position for it. The device is quick, accurate, and so simple that unskilled persons can readily use the device. The tool may be made of any thin suitable material so that it can readily be inserted into the crack between a closed door and the door jamb as previously set forth.

Besides being a butt gauge and a strike plate position finder and marker, the tool is also a casing margin marker. While this work is now down with a combination square and pencil, the combination square must be set and reset many times while the casing work is going on slnce it is used constantly for the marking of straight cutout lines, but the marking tool of the present invention can be set once and left that way for as long as the user is doing casing work. The device is so constructed that when it is being used for marking a casing margin line, it will mark the important corner from which a mitre joint starts or a butt joint on casings meet. Also, the marking tool overcomes a difliculty that has always been a source of imperfection when using a combination square and pencil to mark a casing line on wood that is to have a natural finish. Even if the pencil mark is almost completely covered by the edge of the casing, a dark shadow is visible wherever the pencil has marked and most times the workman does not completely cover the pencil marks with the edge of the casing and in this case the marks that show must be erased. However, the slight cut made into the work by the marking tool of the present invention will till up with shellac or any other natural finish and is not noticeable and, therefore, it is advantageous to use the marking tool as a casing margin marker, especially on wood that is to have a natural finish.

Furthermore, the marking tool is a scribing tool that is tapped with a hammer instead of being drawn along the wood and as such, it can be used for marking the distance down and the distance up for the placement of cabinet door hinges, the distance in for cabinet door handles, and the like.

Thus, it will be seen that the marking tool is a completely diiferent kind of butt gauge, a strike plate position finder and marker, a casing margin marker, and a scribing tool that is simple, light, convenient and easy to use.

Even though the 3 /2 inch butt hinge is the most commonly used butt for house doors, the marking tool can be easily set for any size butt up to and including a 4 /2 inch butt by simply lengthening the slide until the distance between the two flared out ends 13 and 22 is the same as the length of the butt being used. Thus, it is optional whether the marking tool has settings stamped on it for only the 3 /2 inch butt or other sizes also. The numeral 18 indicates the settings which are cut into and stamped on the tool to facilitate its use as a butt gauge. The numerals 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 5, and 5 on the slide 16 and the numeral 4 on the slide 10 indicate steps that are to be followed in sequence for moving the various parts of the butt gauge, such that when it is set at numeral 1 it will make a mark 7 inches down from the top of the door which is the standard measurement for the location of the top butt. Numeral 2 will make a mark 9 inches up from the bottom of the door which is the standard measurement for the location of the bottom butt. The four threes are a choice for the next setting according to which one of the standard size butts are being used, a 3 inch butt, 3% inches, 4 inch or a 4 /2 inch butt. The numeral 4 on the slide 10 is to be used next to make these marks the proper width. Next, one of the two Ss is used according to whether a 1% inch thick door which is an outside door is being worked upon, or a 1% inch thick door which is an inside door, is being worked upon. These settings are an improvement as compared to an ordinary butt gauge and makes the tool quicker and easier to use and completely different from an ordinary butt gauge.

The marking tool actually makes a small cut in the wood, and when the tool is used as a butt gauge, this cut is chiseled out. When the device is used as casing margin marker, the cut is covered by the inside edge of the casing and cannot be seen once the casing is nailed in place. When the device is used as a striker plate, position finder and marker, the small cut is chiseled out.

The device of the present invention thus provides a fast marking tool which does not require the use of a pencil or knife which are the two things a carpenter marks many types of work with. One of its many uses is as a butt marker; the butt or butts being referred to, being the hinges on a door. Previous butt gauges on the market have been used and adapted to work by drawing or pulling so as to mark by a thin line cut into the wood, the place where the wood is to be chiseled out and the butt inserted, but the present invention does the same work easier by a completely different principle. It is placed on the edge of a door and tapped lightly with :a hammer to thereby make its marks. Also, a butt gauge works from the back edge of the door and the back edge 5 of a door jamb whereas the present tool works from the front edge of the door and the front edge of the door jamb which is less confusing to a novice workman.

Another type of previous butt cutter consisted of a flat piece of metal with a cutting edge that is placed on a door after it is properly marked and then the cutter is hammered until it cuts an outline into the wood which is then chiseled out. However, a carpenter still needs a butt gauge or something better because a butt cutter is not a location finder. The marking tool of the present invention will mark for the butt location and also will locate and mark for the exact position of a striker plate very quickly. The marking tool is flat like a rule, and about as long as a pencil when closed, and light in weight and simple in construction so that it is inexpensive to manufacture and can be sold at a much lower price than previous type butt gauges.

Furthermore, the tool is convenient for the marking of markings on door jambs left by the inside edge of door casings which is now done by means of a combination square and pencil. However, the present marking tool is more convenient because it can be carried in an overall bib pocket or any other pocket and can be used instantly without stopping to pick it up or without hunting for it and at last finding it under other tools or pieces of lumber which is often the case with a combination square. Thus, the tool is always at the users finger tips and it can be used without a pencil to mark a door jamb with less than two-thirds of the time it takes with a square. Thus, a carpenter can put on many more sets of door casings in a given period of time so that the tool will save the carpenter much eflort and time in putting on casings. The foregoing also applies to window casings which have to be marked in the same manner before the casing can be applied.

Another advantage of the marking tool is that it would free a carpenters combination square for marking a straight line on a board -to be cut for which purpose a combination square is constantly being used for. The carpenter many times sets his square for marking a casing line, marks the window frame or door jamb he is working on and discovers he has to cut a square line on the bottom end of the casing or cut a board for some other purpose he must unset his square to mark this line, and when he is ready to fit and place the next set of casings, he has to readjust and reset his square. The marking tool can be set when a carpenter stops this type Work and can be left to set until it is placed in a different type of work, so as to free his combination square for other uses and do away with this irksome inconvenience. The device can also be used for marking from bottom up or top down for the placement of cabinet door hinges, for marking the distance in from the outside edge of cabinet doors for the placement of door handles, and it can be used on other material besides wood.

The tool of the present invention is adapted to be used by carpenters and consists of the two slides and 16, and the slide 10 has the markers 14 and 15 on the ends thereof. The slide 16 includes the flange or lip 19. The rivet 23 and locking bolt 24 serve to maintain the slides immobile in their adjusted position, so that the slides can be moved to opened or extended position. The slot 12 permits the slides to move back and forth with respect to each other and whereby the device can be locked so that it will have different lengths.

When using the marking tool is one instance, the lip 19 may be hooked or placed against the side of the door so as to allow no interference from fastening devices 23, 24 or 25 and allowing flange 15 to come into direct contact with the wood it will mark. Then the tool is tapped with a hammer on top of the flange 15 which leaves a short mark. The tool is then set for whatever size butt is being used and the lip 19 is moved along the edge of the door and placed at the short mark just made in the same manner, hooked or against the side of the door, and

the flange 15 is then tapped again which leaves a second short mark. The tool is then turned end for'end or completely over and the flange 14 is placed directly on the first short mark with the side edge of slide 10 and slide 16 in flush with the front edge of the door, and the tool is tapped on top of the flange 14. This widens the short marks to the proper width.

The tool is then set for a 1% inch door or 1% inch door, which ever is being worked upon, and the lip 19 is held against the door and then the flange 15 is tapped so as to leave the back line which connects the two end lines. Now since this tool is 1 /2 inches wide at point 15, it will have to be moved along the door and tapped two separate times in order to make a continuous back edge line that connects the two end lines. Two separate times for 3 inch butts or several times for 4V2 inch butts, but this move is so rapid that the time used in sliding it along the door is of no consequence. Whatever the size of butt being used, the tool is simply moved along the door and tapped until the back line connects with the end lines.

Marking the position and outline for butts can be done very rapidly when the numbers on the tool are followed, such as,- set the tool at numeral 1, hold the tool flush with the top end of the door. Then, tap on top of the flange 15 and ashort mark is left 7 inches down. Then, set the tool at numeral 2, hold the tool flush with the bottom end of the door and tap on top of flange 15 and a short mark is left 9 inches up.

Now set the tool at any numeral 3 according to the size butt being used and hold the lip 19 at one of the short marks just made, tap flange 15 and another short mark is made. Repeat this at the other end of the door and another short mark is made leaving four end lines, two on the edge of the door 9 inches up from the bottom and two on the edge of the door 7 inches from the top.

Now, simply turn the tool over and hold the flange 14 which is marked numeral 4, directly on any short mark with the outside edges of the slide 10 and slide 16 flush with the outside edge of the door and tap on top of the flange 14. Since at the flange 14 the tool is 1 /8 inches wide, this will lengthen and leave the short mark already made the proper width on a 1% inch thick door. On a 1% inch thick door, there would be a small unmarked gap between the end of the end lines and back edge line that would appear but this would not matter since a chisel would span this gap when the actual cutting out of the wood was done. This is repeated on all four short marks already on the door and this will widen them so that they will look as wide as necessary.

Next set the tool at either one of the two numeral Ss, according to whether a 1% inch door or a 1% inch door is being worked upon, and then hold the tool in position and tap on top of flange 15 to connect the two end lines with a back line.

It is to be noted that if the numeral on the tool were followed in sequence, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, it would simplify and speed up the use of the tool as a butt gage. The tool is also used to mark the door jamb with butt outlines.

As a casing margin line marker, the lip 19 fits against the door jamb on the upper right hand corner and on the upper left hand corner. This permit-s the flange 15 which does the marking in this case, to run by the corner and connect the mark that runs vertical on the side of the door jamb and the mark that runs horizontal on the top piece, known as the header so that these corner marks can connect. If the lip 19 were not made in this fashion, proper marks could not be made and the point at which these two lines intersect is the exact point where a left side casing or a right side casing (which are held in position to be marked before they are cut) are marked. Also, the top piece of the casing is marked at this point for a mitre joint cut. Although these casing margin marks are never one continuous mark but are short marks made here and there along the edge of the door jamb, the im:

portant corner marks must always be in the corners and they must always intersect.

In conclusion, it will be seen that the plain end of the slide 16 is used to insert into the crack between the door and jamb when the tool is being used for strike plate work. The lip 19 is used in conjunction with the flange 15 for locating marks for the placement of butts. The flange 14 is used to make these marks their proper Width since flange 14 is 1 /3 inches wide. Also, the lip 19 is used in conjunction with the flange 15 to get proper important intersecting corner marks for easing margin line marking.

I claim:

A tool for use as a butt gauge, a strike plate position finder and marker, a casing margin marker, and a scribing tool, comprising a first slide having a longitudinally extending slot therein, said slot being plain and said slot having a uniform width throughout its entire length, said slide including a widened end portion, a flange extending from an end of said slide and said flange having a tapered shape so that it terminates in a sharp edge, a second flange extending from the other end of said slide and extending in the opposite direction from said first flange, said flanges extending the full width of the slide, said second flange having a tapered shape and terminating in a sharp edge; a second slide arranged contiguous to said first slide and adjustably connected to said first slide and said second slide having a widened end portion, a lip extending from the widened end portion of said second slide, indicia arranged directly on said second slide, there being a pair of spaced apart apertures in said second slide, securing elements extending through said slot and apertures, said securing elements embodying a rivet extending through one of said apertures and through said slot, a headed bolt extending through the other aperture, and a fastener arranged in threaded engagement with said bolt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 201,798 Larsen Mar. 26, 1878 1,656,143 Colby Jan. 10, 1928 2,060,927 Cristiani Nov. 17, 1936 2,399,145 Schmidt Apr. 23, 1946 2,497,570 Abshire Feb. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 251,156 Switzerland July 16, 1948 

